abilitY and permission
can/be able to; could; may; might; to be allowed to
Tammekänd, L. 2009. National Exam in English
be able to
- we use be able to for particular instances, and it often suggests “managing to overcome difficulties”
She was able to swim across the river although it was very wide.
We were able to pay although we were poor.
- we also use be able to for things which a person will be capable of doing in the future but not now
If she practises, she will be able to play Chopin.
could
- could does not always have a past meaning
You can visit the museum. (= now or in the future)
You could visit the museum. (= now or in the future, but more tentative, or polite)
It can be very cold at night. (= generally speaking)
It could be very cold at night. (= generally speaking)
- we use be able to for particular instances, and it often suggests “managing to overcome difficulties”
She was able to swim across the river although it was very wide.
We were able to pay although we were poor.
- we also use be able to for things which a person will be capable of doing in the future but not now
If she practises, she will be able to play Chopin.
could
- could does not always have a past meaning
You can visit the museum. (= now or in the future)
You could visit the museum. (= now or in the future, but more tentative, or polite)
It can be very cold at night. (= generally speaking)
It could be very cold at night. (= generally speaking)
Exercise 2
Ability and Permission
Gap-fill exercise
Fill in the gaps with can, can’t, could, couldn’t, was able to, wasn‘t able to, and was/were allowed to. Pay attention to contractions. Several variants are possible. Fill in all the gaps, then press "Check" to check your answers.
